Home
Addiction
The Health Benefits of Pineapple
The pineapple is indigenous to the South American countries Brazil and Paraguay. Pineapple was well distributed throughout Latin America by the indigenous population before Columbus found it and took it back to Spain. Attempts to cultivate pineapple in Europe failed due to the fruit’s need for a tropical climate in order to grow. Portuguese and Spanish explorers carried pineapples aboard their ships as protection against scurvy, and soon introduced them into Africa and Asia where they flourished.
The health benefits of pineapple include sinusitis treatment, thrombosis treatment, and anti inflammatory.
Health Benefits of Pineapples
-
Nutrients in Pineapple
Pineapple is an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. It’s a very good source of vitamin Bl. It’s a good source of vitamin B6, copper, magnesium, and dietary fiber. Bromelain is is a proteolytic enzyme (enzymes that digest protein) found in pineapple, and to a greater extent in pineapple stems. A comprehensive breakdown of nutrients can be found in our Nutrient Database.
-
Sinusitis Treatment
In Germany, where bromelain is approved by the German Commission E for the treatment of sinusitis, a clinical trial demonstrated that children diagnosed with acute sinusitis recovered significantly faster when treated with pineapple bromelain compared to other treatments.
-
Anti Inflammatory
There is some clinical evidence that suggests the effectiveness of bromelain as an anti-inflammatory, and may reduce swelling, bruising, healing time, and pain following surgery and physical injuries. In a 3-month study involving subjects with mild acute knee pain, it was concluded that bromelain might be effective in ameliorating pain.
In a clinical trial involving patients with periarthritis of the shoulder, and also patients suffering from painful osteoarthritis of the knee, pain reduction with the treatment of proteolytic enzymes such as bromelain was comparable to those treated with NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
-
Mucha Habermann's Disease
Mucha Habermann's disease (Pityriasis lichenoides chronica) is a rare disease of the immune system of unknown origin, characterized by recurrent red, round and elevated lesions on the skin. In a 3-month study involving 8 patients with Pityriasis lichenoides chronica (PLC), they were treated with bromelain. It was concluded that bromelain is an effective therapeutic option for PLC after all patients showed complete recovery.
-
Thrombosis Treatment
Studies have shown bromelain to display fibrinolytic and antithrombotic activity, and two clinical trials on heart patients have shown a practically complete elimination of thrombosis.
-
Digestion Aid
Bromelain aids and promotes digestion due to its protein digesting capabilities, and may relieve symptoms of stomach upset or heartburn.
-
Glycemic Index of Pineapple
In a study to determine the GI of various foods, it was concluded that pineapples have a low GI of 46 - 51.
References:
1. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno.
2. Benders' Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology.
3. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
4. Massimiliano R, Pietro R, Paolo S, Sara P, Michele F. Role of bromelain in the treatment of patients with pityriasis lichenoides chronica. J Dermatolog Treat. 2007;18(4):219-22. PMID: 17671882.
5. Walker AF, Bundy R, Hicks SM, Middleton RW. Bromelain reduces mild acute knee pain and improves well-being in a dose-dependent fashion in an open study of otherwise healthy adults. Phytomedicine. 2002 Dec;9(8):681-6. PMID: 12587686.
6. Felton GE. Fibrinolytic and antithrombotic action of bromelain may eliminate thrombosis in heart patients. Med Hypotheses. 1980 Nov;6(11):1123-33. PMID: 6256612.
7. Klein G, Kullich W. [Reducing pain by oral enzyme therapy in rheumatic diseases]. Wien Med Wochenschr. 1999;149(21-22):577-80. PMID: 10666820.
8. Braun JM, Schneider B, Beuth HJ. Therapeutic use, efficiency and safety of the proteolytic pineapple enzyme Bromelain-POS in children with acute sinusitis in Germany. In Vivo. 2005 Mar-Apr;19(2):417-21. PMID: 15796206.
9. Image by job_earth
Related Articles
Four of the largest cohort studies in nutritional epidemiology have reported that eating nuts frequently is associated with a 30-50% decreased risk of coronary heart disease. Possible
|
The almond is believed to have originally been cultivated in Asia and North Africa, and it was Spanish missionaries who first brought almonds to California. According to the Food and
|
Cabbage was brought to Europe from Asia by roving bands of Celtic people and quickly became a popular food crop throughout northern Europe.
In the oldest surviving work of Latin prose,
|
There is evidence that the chickpea originated in Persia and that they were a staple of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Spanish and Portuguese explorers introduced chickpeas to the subtropical
|
Tuna was once considered by the samurai unfit to eat, and is now one of the most popular fish in Japan. It was in 1903 that a sardine shortage led to a cannery filling the cans with albacore,
|
Latest Health News
 Tuesday, 09 February 2010
A Mediterranean diet may help people avoid the small areas of brain damage that can lead to problems with thinking
|
 Tuesday, 09 February 2010 {loadposition cardio_ads}
High blood pressure appears to predict the progression to dementia in older adults with impaired
|
 Monday, 08 February 2010
Workers exposed to tricholorethylene (TCE), a chemical once widely used to clean metal such as auto parts, may be at
|
 Monday, 08 February 2010
Consuming two or more soft drinks per week increased the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by nearly twofold
|
 Monday, 08 February 2010
The benefits of marijuana in tempering or reversing the effects of Alzheimer's disease have been challenged in a new
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |